Date:         Sun, 25 Sep 2005 00:14:54 -0400
Reply-To:     jahsurf@AOL.COM
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Chris Dixon <jahsurf@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Towing my Syncro with an Element??
Comments: To: syncro@yahoogroups.com
In-Reply-To:  <200509240010.1864334d197262@rly-yb02.mx.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

To Vanagonauts who know more than me:
I'm considering a move to the east coast from California. If I keep my
Syncro Westy, then I need to get both it and my Element to South
Carolina in as economic a manner as possible. The Element surely has
the power to tow the Syncro -- especially since there's no way I'd be
exceeding 55 MPH anywhere, but it has a 4700 pound GVWR and is towing
rated to 1500 lbs - and thus, I assume it's not rated to tow a 5K pound
van. That is, unless the 1500 lbs means tongue weight -- and even in my
ignorance, I'm reasonably sure it does not. The Syncro has a high
output waterboxer and bull bumpers with receiver hitch. I think it
would be up to the task, but only marginally, and it doesn't seem like
such a good idea to tax any waterboxer Vanagon with a Honda element
bolted to the back. Especially on the long passes along I10 in Calif.
Anyone have any ideas about this? Would it even be legal to put the
Syncro behind the element? Foolish?
Ideas?
Thanks,
Dixon